The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-09-29
CO-EDUC
REV. DIR. DEEMS TRACES ITS
PROGRE ESS.
lie Believes that All Colleges Ought to
Open Their Glasses to Qualified WO-

from The Forum

College for Young Ladies in Greensboro
n. G. Afterward / founded school for
boys and school for girls in the same
village and under the sam government; :;
the girls occupying building which pro
vided dOrmitorics. recitation rooms, and
all the other apartments necessary for so
large a family: ne boys boarding IN the
village and la Tnc their school in {. build
ing two blocks away from the school for
girls. Thus far only did public opinion in
North Carolina before the war allow me
to attempt an experiment in coeducation
of the sexes he experiment, while still
III its beginning, was, like many another
valuable undertaking. thwarted by the
breaking out Of hostilities.
The subject has never lost its attraction
for me, and l have watched with interest
the growth Of co-education. My own
opinion is, that in the beginning of school
life boys and girls should be educated to-
gether. There is a transition period when,
perhaps, it wopll lee best to educate them
apart. They come again to another season
III life when 90 education seems better for
Doth SEXES. IN addition to these views [
nave a profound conviction that exactly
the same education should be given to both
sexes in those studies which have for their
aim intellectual! development, as distin
g'tiShCd f:on studies Immediately concern
ed with practical life
If | hal 3Uto~ratio power would re-
strict cCl!"4. stuui 5 10 the branches which
are specially. and | might say almost sole
~. intended for intellectual development.
Latin, G *. and mat athemalics should be
The ivy IL post graduate or univers
Ity depart would have those studies
which are intended for practical life, and
they should be pursued only by those who
had gone Trough he preliminary intel
lectuai training III the college classes. Up
t. the close OF til" college course both
sexes should have C3e same curriculum,
here beng 10 el' tive studies until the
student is ol1 enough and sufficiently
trained to take The 3. A. degree. Even
iii the post graduate aud university classes
there ue few branches which both sexes
can study tog~taer. Almost all the pres
gct so-g..t-d colleges for young women
s90}.IG 20 =, ralu;prF schools IL the
cn.i-ce, t@l sexes should Ge aGmiitgG
without ANY Discrimination Whatever. The
examinations should be absolutely impar
tial. fur "a degree, h. made aapiis should
be required to pass as rigid au examine
/ zion as the female, ana vice versa.
If these views We're adopted | can see
how number of advantages would accrue
to education. III the first place. there
would be an Improvement in the readjust
ment of courses of study. In the second
place. there would be an improvement in
the interplay of influences between the
sexes, such as there is IN the family, con
sistng of men and women, girls and boys.
In the I'd place there would he an i'm
proYenent in bringing together the prop
critics and the end0wments of the small
male and small female college into one
institution. These are theoretical views,
and have been growing on NE for years.
| Lately | have had occasion to set myself
to ascertain whether they were practical.
Providence denied me the privilege OF
completing the experiment that had un
dertaken, but during the last quarter of a
century, since my career as Il teacher prac
tically closed, other institutions have been
making experiments with what seem TO be
the following results.
The nearest institution is Columbia Col
lege In 1888 the trustees ordered that a
course of study, equivalent TO the course
given to young men in the college, but
not identical with that, should be offered
to such women as might desire TO avail
themselves of it, to be pursued under the
general direction of the faculty. The plan
embraces nine different groups. viz, Eng
/ lish language and literature: modern Ian
guages and foreign literature; Latin Ian
guage and literature; Greek language and
| literature, mathematics, history and polltl-
| cal science; physics, chemistry, and by
| glene; natural history, geology, Paleont-
| ology, botany. and zoology: moral and
intellectual philosophy. The course is to
extend over four years, and these are de
nominated first, second, third, and fourth,
not freshman, sophomore, junior, and
senior. The preliminary examination for
entrance is to be ED annually, and the
! candidate must be seventeen years of age.
! the student must pursue the st,.dies of the
first group, viz, English language and
| literature; and. in addition, those of one
other group, during the first and second
years. At tie end of the first year, how
ever, a new selection may be made. The
student is left 10 pursue her studies at her
own discretion rs to the manner and place
thereof Times for examination are APP
pointed hv the boards of the college.
II is cu!lc;','td by Columbia College that
its system is not particularly attractive,
because it offers no instruction, women
not being admitted TO the college classes.
1t has not been in operation long enough
to allow any Of the candidates TO complete
the four year course; and as it was not eX-
pected that the applicants would take a
| fuil course, the larger number OF the stu
dents al present are pursuing only special
branches, all:i are not candidates for grad
| uatiou. There are nineteen of them in all
| The fourth year is about closing, and not
more than one or two will come up fol
graduation when it ends, AS the trustees
did not venture in the beginning to hold
out the attainment of degree as posi-
bility we can readily see why the number
of ful!-courSe students is, probably, less
than il would otherwise have been. The
authorities Of the college believe that the
number of that class will probably increase
hereafter The venerable President Bar
nard, in note % me. says: 'As to The
performance of the young women in thel
examinations, we have every reason to b.
satisfied Some of them have displayed
singular proficiency, especially in c!as sica
studies. AS a rule 1t may be said that th'
young women are diigent Students
Syracuse University throws open thu
doors of all its colleges for the admission
of women on the same terms as men. IT.
summary of students in the ''SlXteentl
Annual" lSS6 1857 gives no data t.
enable one to see what proportion of tn
students are women. This is consisten
with the uniyersity's plan of making n
distinction. In looking over the cataiogu
of four hundred and thirty-seven names
is perceived that a very large proportion
are names of women. The university ha
no dormtories. The students board il
families near by. There is no discrimi
nation whatever on account of sex. 1t
chancellor, Rev. DR.. Sims. informs m